For reasons I’ll never understand, there are those few homeowners who decide on a whim that they are professionals and in so doing, think they can get clean, streak free windows as good as the local window cleaning company that will charge them to do it right the first time. Lets face it, most often when we as homeowners try to do things ourselves, it doesn’t always work out as planned. The benefits of hiring a qualified company to get the job done better and faster than we would’ve have tried to, are a lot more significant than we might have initially thought. When it cones to hiring someone to clean your windows, the cost may seem like it’s not worth it, but as you take some time to learn about the advantages of having an experienced cleaner do it, you will soon become aware of the fact that it really is worth every penny, which in the end is a small investment. Bottom line is, just have them done by professionals and you most likely will be very satisfied knowing they did a much better job than you and most likely went above your standards of clean, which will leave you surprised at how clean they really are! Take a look at a number of reasons you should call a local window cleaning service to clean the glass on your house, and how it can improve the look of your home.

Much Better Results

You expectations will probably be exceeded once the job is completed by a pro. Yes, most people are quite capable of cleaning their own windows, but the extra experience, proper equipment and window cleaning techniques will produce better results than your average homeowner equipped with a simple mop & squeegee.

Longevity of Your Windows

A regular cleaning of your windows will enhance the protection of the glass and extend the life span of them as well. You windows, tracks and frames will collect unwanted dust, grime, webs, dirt, not to mention oxidative stress from the elements and environment. As with most everything else, it’s only a matter of time before your windows decline in overall health. The accumulation of things like hard rain, minerals in the air, etc. Having your windows cleaned will help remove these hindrances and prolong their life. Keeping them cleaned and well maintained will help them improve the overall look of your house as well. No body likes dirty windows. Removing all residue and harmful substances from the glass on a regular basis will reduce the effects of oxidation and the chance of having bad looking windows.

Huge Time Saver

Think about all the things you could be doing other than getting stuck cleaning your own windows. Hiring a professional will most likely have them finished in half the time if you tried to do it yourself which saves you a lot of time that can be spent on things that are more important, like playing with your children. You want to spend your time doing things and activities you enjoy rather than dreading the task of cleaning. Trust a local cleaner to get it done for you while you take your family out for ice cream, that sounds like a much more enjoyable activity.

Reasonably Priced

Whether or not it’s less expensive to do it yourself, is not the point. There are a few factors to take into consideration when looking around for window cleaning quotes. If you understand the whole process the professionals will go through to have your windows cleaned optimally, it is a lot easier to pay for it. You’ll start to see how valuable the service can be.

Staying Safe

Getting up on a ladder if you don’t have access to professional equipment like extension poles or water fed poles can become a little risky and dangerous if you’re not used to it. Leave it to a qualified window cleaner to do what he does best every day of the week anyway, cleaning the inside & outside of your windows will always carry much value and bring improvement to your home and property.

Be sure to look around your area for the right company to hire, ask them questions about their process so you know you’re making the right choice.

– The information in today’s post was provided by Window Cleaners Winnipeg. They offer quality, residential window cleaning Winnipeg homeowners can trust to have done right, while you can enjoy your time doing what you love.

Plants provide an incredible way to improve quality of the environment. In addition to livening up the landscape with a natural show of beauty, mature and healthy plants add value to a property. The most common plants that are found in most homes and commercial spaces are trees, shrubs and hedges. To keep these plants healthy and looking good throughout the year, you need to perform several maintenance practices.

Here are some of the key care and maintenance tips that will enable you to keep your trees, shrubs and hedges in order throughout the year.

Water Your Trees, Shrubs and Hedges

Water is one of the most essential things that your plants require in order to stay healthy throughout the year. Regular watering is recommended from April to late September. Although bigger trees, shrubs and hedges may not require frequent watering, young and small plants need water to establish their roots in the soil and flourish. As such, they should be watered consistently to prevent drying up of the soil around them. Generally, heavier soils require more water than lighter soils like sand. If unsure about the type of soil and the right watering frequency, engage a professional to have soil tests done. However, keep in mind the fact that too much water can be harmful to trees, shrubs and hedges. The best watering methods for the trees, shrubs and hedges include use of hoses and watering cans, dripper pipe systems and sprinklers. It’s also important that you add mulch around the bases of the trees. Mulching should be done using tree barks, peat, composted wood chip or gravels. This helps in reducing water loss through evaporation and suppressing growth of weeds thereby enabling your plants to thrive.

Apply Fertilizer

Fertilizers promote growth of trees, shrubs and hedges. They are important where plants are not performing well. However, applying fertilizers on new shrubs can weaken them and impact poor growth. To avoid such mistakes, consult a professional for advice on the right fertilizers for your plants and how to apply them.

Pruning Trees, Shrubs and Hedges

Pruning is a critical procedure for promoting plants health, removing damaged parts, encouraging new blossoms and maintaining their shapes. Before you start pruning, conduct a careful inspection of the plants to identify the damaged parts to be removed, branches to leave and the best way to shape the plants. For trees, shrubs and hedges that flower in spring, the best time to prune them is immediately after their flowers fade. If your trees, shrubs and hedges flower in summer, prune them in early spring or winter, before they establish new growths. For evergreens that hardly drop their leaves like camellia, conifers, pine and boxwood, winter months are the best time for pruning.

Begin pruning by removing low growing branches that block view or impede the passing vehicles. Branches that are split, broken or dried should also be removed. To promote the health of plants, branches that are affected by pests, diseased or dead should also be removed. If there are branches growing towards the wrong directions, cut them out too. When pruning, be careful to cut out thin branches, suckers and water sprouts. These are undesirable growths that can affect the health of plants negatively if left to thrive. Instead of uprooting overgrown and neglected trees, shrubs and hedges, remove their lower limbs. This helps turn them into small multi-trunked plants that are easier to take care of. Pruning can also be done to create particular shapes for trees, shrubs and hedges. With a better understanding of the different types of growth buds, trees, shrubs and hedges can be trimmed to form unique shapes that complement your landscape and other aspects of the property. But to do this, you need the right pruning tools. These include hand shears, pruning saws, lopping shears, pole pruners and hedge shears.

Although these procedures may look simple, they require expertise and time to perform. Unfortunately, you may not have time and the necessary expertise. That’s why keeping your trees, shrubs and hedges in order throughout the year may entail hiring services of experienced specialists with the right tools to do the job.

Thanks to MedHat Tree Care for their input into this article. You can visit their website to see why they are the #1 rated tree service Medicine Hat homeowners choose for their properties.

Do you want to give your outdoor living space a new appearance? From permanent homes to beach rentals, there are several stylish outdoor living space decors that will create a relaxed outdoor living space. Below are some styles that you can try out.

Clay Pavers

If you are interested in a patio that has a timeless appearance, clay pavers are ideal for upgrading your outdoor living space. Clay pavers are an ideal choice for many home owners. That’s because they have been tried over time and proven excellent colour retainers. They are also highly durable. But before you lay clay pavers, you must ensure that your base is well levelled. For a professional look and long lasting pavers, a concrete subfloor is a must.

Fire Pit Patios

Upgrading your outdoor living space with a fire pit and some relaxing furniture will turn your patio into a welcoming space where people will comfortably gather. Depending on your location, you can go for a gas pit that turns on fire at a switch of a button. Alternatively, install a traditional wood fire pit in the backyard.

Flagstones For a Natural Look

Using irregular flagstones on your patio will give it a nice natural impression. Flagstones provide flat and large areas for setting up furniture. They are also great for breaking the architectural lines of a living space. These stones are however heavy. As such, they require more equipment or hands to properly put in place.

Concrete Pavers

Concrete pavers installation provides a great way to enhance an outdoor living space. They are available in different colors, size and shapes. What’s more, they are fairly priced. Concrete pavers are also less costly and easy to repair compared to concrete slabs. For instance, if you have a paver with a crack, just to replace it or flip it over depending on your chosen pavers.

Add Lighting

Adding lighting to your outdoor space is a great way of upgrading it. Aside from decorating your outdoor space, lighting will enhance your home’s security and safety at night. If you choose this option, LED lights are ideal and most popular. That’s because they consume less energy by up to 90%. However, they are a bit expensive compared to incandescent lights.

Rain Gardening

Rain gardens are eco-friendly and they help in diverting water to trees and plants as well as other areas that may need channeling water away from hardscape features or house. The best plants for rain gardens are native plants as they adapt to climatic conditions, soil and water.

Wood Decks

Wood decks will give your outdoor living space a beautiful natural look. They are also cheaper to install. However, they require slight maintenance, which is worth it. To prevent cracking and fading, it is important that you re-stain the wood decks after a year or two.

If you are looking for a way to upgrade your outdoor living space, try these tips and you will give your space a new, better look.

Selecting the best paint colour combinations for your home exterior is not easy. Maybe you want to highlight the architectural details of your home. Perhaps, you need paint colors that will work like complementary shades for trim and shutters. Whatever the case, the choice of home exterior paint colors is very important.

Colour can make a significant impact on the overall look of your home. For inspiration, think about the style of your home, scale, and architectural styles that are typical to your region or neighbourhood.

This is very important because the best paint colour combinations for a home exterior are contextual to its environment.

Here are some of the combinations that you should consider:

Sage and Straw

Start with neutral straw yellow shade to create a welcoming palette then use sage green to accent the look. This will give your home’s exterior a traditional architecture look. Sage and straw provide a balanced look, curb appeal, and a classic look throughout the year.

Black and Red

Red paint colour is classic. It looks better when used to paint small homes. That’s because these handle this colour better. On the other hand, black paint colour will accent shutters and the front door better.

Two-Tone Olive

These are natural, deep paint colours that will recede into your landscape with ease. They are commonly used in craftsman-style homes. For instance, you can use Dakota Woods green and Gloucester Sage. Front doors can be painted with yellow-orange stain. It’s important to add character to front doors because they draw more attention.

Blue and Grey

Grey paint colour is neutral. It also matches different home styles. What’s more, it complements bricks better. To accent this colour, use sea and sky blue on doors and shutters.

Cream, Burgundy, and Green

A combination of cream, burgundy and green works best for Victorian-style homes. This is a bold paint colour combination that gives the exterior of a home a warm and dramatic appearance.

Basically, these are some of the best paint colour combinations to consider when painting the exterior of your home. Try them out and you will definitely give your home an admirable look.

A special thanks goes to today’s guest writer from www.sandmanpaintingwinnipeg.com for adding value to the blog and to the viewers.

What used to be solely a storage space for the family automobile has become much more. True, the garage is still the place where you keep your vehicle, your motorcycle, bicycles and other family articles. However, many families have expanded the garage’s usefulness into an area that functions as much more than a storage area.

Some families have taken advantage of the space and have created an area for family fun as well as family functionality.

Depending on the present size of your garage, you might consider expanding it. Other than that, heating the garage is the first step in creating a comfortable space to accommodate other activities. With a well-planned layout, the garage can be turned into a space that could accommodate several different functions. Let’s look at a few:

Work Up a Sweat

A heated garage can easily be transformed into a workout area. Add some basic exercise equipment like a stair tread machine, a bench, dumbbells and perhaps a stationary bike and you have a nifty personal gym. You can organize a daily group exercise session with neighbors and friends; they can even add their own equipment to the mix. Bring out a radio or a TV, a large mirror, a cooler with drinks and a few lawn chairs. Your group can enjoy the benefits of group encouragement and participation in a comfy atmosphere.

Add a Garden of Eden

With the garage properly heated, you can transform the garage into a delightful garden of sorts with the addition of plants, a hot tub, candles and perhaps some new age CDs. Install lighting that can be lowered for ambiance. As an extra bonus, add a ceiling window to see the stars. When the kids are at school, in bed, out playing or visiting, you and your spouse can relax in your own Garden of Eden. Install a lock on the door and your privacy is assured no matter where the kids are.

Bring Out the Artiste in You

If you have artistic talent or would like to work on one, create a pleasant artist loft without the loft. Privacy and tranquility are yours. If there are outside, distracting noises, purchase a white noise machine that will cover the external sounds with a steady whisper of white noise. They’re ideal for the job and inexpensive. Set up your easel, table or whatever work surface you require and relax your mind as you create from the heart.

Get Your Game On

A heated garage also makes a great man cave. Add a couple of couches, a recliner or two and a wide TV; your garage will soon be the neighbourhood’s best place to watch the game. Install some kitchen aspects like a refrigerator, some neon party signs and a small bar to complete the atmosphere. When there’s no game, or you choose to have a weekly family night, it will be the ideal family game room. With a pool table, dart board and table with chairs, the family has an outstanding family room.

Foodies are taking over the planet, which means that more kitchens are being renovated, and more people are paying attention to the latest trends in kitchen styles and appliances. More people are now inviting friends and families over so that they can showcase their skill as home cooks.

The social kitchen

The kitchen has always been a place where people gather together. It is an area of high energy where people eat and interact. These days, the purpose of the kitchen is changing such that is both a place to cook and a place to entertain. A social kitchen is a central spot where long conversations are encouraged. As such, the design of modern kitchen is evolving. Now, kitchens offer comfortable seating. Homeowners are availing the services of interior designers so that the kitchen becomes another living area where people eat while they mingle, and where everyone can participate in or observe the cooking and preparation of dishes. Now, more than ever, the kitchen is the undisputed “most used” room in the home. If you want your kitchen to be the talk of the town, then you must invest not only in the latest kitchen appliances, but also in upgrading its style to fit popular tastes. Here’s more on new home design.

Fashion-forward homeowners are opening up to the idea of throwing in a splash of color to make sort of a bold statement in an otherwise austere environment. Amidst sleek and modern cooking implements the eyes are drawn to a bright red countertop.

The new appliance aesthetic

While stainless steel appliances are still the most popular options in the market today, color is entering the kitchen, with billions of dollars in sales in the United States alone. One of the reasons why stainless steel kitchen appliances are the runaway favorite is their neutrality. Unlike colorful appliances that need to match existing décor, stainless steel easily fits any kind of environment. People who prefer the modern and sleek look populate their kitchen with this popular trend. Nevertheless, some kitchens are sporting a matte, metallic finish, shifting away from the look that makes household kitchens look like commercial ones.

Another popular concept is the partiality towards appliances with handles, rounded edges, and other characteristics that make them appear like furniture.

Small appliance trends

Perhaps the most important appliance trend of recent years is the compact kitchen appliance. Home cooks are becoming more pragmatic, and since urban dwellings are quite limited in terms of floor space, compact kitchens require small appliances. Functionality is the order of the day, and there’s nothing more functional than a kitchen counter that has everything lined up in one location-the toaster, microwave, the coffeemaker, a modular stove, and even a countertop fridge. Space-saving ideas are becoming more popular now, since they are also becoming even more affordable. Appliance manufacturers are embracing the concept and this makes high quality appliances affordable to regular folk. Aside from being small, modern compact appliances are designed to look like futuristic works of art. Learn more from featured interior design information at www.interiordesign.net.

Any person who is lucky enough to own a home nowadays can consider such home as his castle. The present state of the economy has made home ownership a rarity indeed especially if a person is a wage earner.

People who have had their homes for a long time are definitely thankful that they have something they can call their own. However, the wear and tear as well as the abuses of nature can take its toll on the inside and outside look of any home. Thus, most homeowners have plans of redesigning their homes depending on the available resources.

Redesigning a home that has been in existence for a long time can be difficult and expensive. However, a person who is creative and industrious enough will find the time and the energy to redesign his home using the basic and affordable guide in home design.

Redesigning a home need not be expensive because there are techniques that can be applied to make an old home as good as new. A person can work on a minimum budget and introduce basic changes in his home which would result to a more aesthetic abode. The people living in a home will certainly have developed a new style or preference after so many years. It is advisable that a person looks into his preferences, the way of life of the family and of course the available budget before making any change. It would help to browse architectural or interior magazines to have an idea of what is new is home redesigning. More often, less is best so make sure that the design would be simple and would fit the personality of the people living in the house.

There are several designs to choose from like country, modern, traditional or pop art. It will depend on the taste of the designer and of course, the people who will be living in the home that will be redesigned.

A person can make amazing changes in any home just by changing the color scheme of the home. It can be a change in the paint of the rooms, or a change in the colors scheme of the draperies. No matter what, the color should match the size and the location of the rooms to be redesigned.

Also take a look at the appliances, furniture and trinkets that are available inside or outside the home. These factors can affect the design and can even have a great impact in the choice of colors.

To make the home more airy and relaxing, it would be a good idea to bring in some plants. The plants should however be of little maintenance so that the homeowner would not have a hard time taking care of the plants.

Also take note of the lighting scheme of the home. Placing the right kind of light at the right place can make a difference in making the home spacious or narrow, cheerful or dreary.